Side opening milk cooler



Sept 2, 1952 R. D. PusEY SIDE OPENING MILK COOLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9, 1950 Sept. 2, '1952 R. D. PusEY SIDE OPENING MILK COOLER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 9, 1950 l l l Il Il l 1/ l ff Il l,

Sept. 2, 1952 R. D. PusEY 2,608,836

SIDE OPENING MILK COOLER Filed Oct. 9, 1950 5 sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 2, 1952 Raymond D. Pusey, Smyrna, Del., assgnor to -I Wilson Refrigeration, Inc., Smyrna, Del., a corporation of Delaware `rippncaticn october 9, 1950,*seri'a1 N.189,219 v This invention relates to milk coolers, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a cooler of generally improved structural form and functional characteristics. v

A more specific object of the invention is to provide amilk cooler comprising the conventional cabinet, water cooling, and water distributing and circulating means wherein access to thel cabinet for insertion and removal of the milk cans is aiorded by way of an opening in a side wall of the cabinet, said cooling, distributing and circulating means being constructed and being arranged within the cabinet in a manner best adapted to the side Wall access design in both the structural and functional respects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a milk cooler of the side opening type wherein the cooling device takes the form of a self-contained refrigeration unit which is installed in the cooler assembly by way of an opening in the top wall of the cabinet, said unit being supported on the said top wall and being readily detachable by a simple lifting operation from the cabinet for repair, cleaning, or replacement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a milk cooler of the stated type wherein the means. for circulating the water inthe cabinet takes the vform ofy a self-contained pump unit installed in the cabinet by way of an opening in the top wall thereof and supported on the latter in a manner affording ready removal of the unit by a simple lifting operation for repair, cleaning, or replacement.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a milk cooler wherein the water or other liquid cooling medium is distributed over the surfaces of the milk cans by way of a duct system which is removable asa unit from the cabinet for cleaning. repair or replacement.

A still furtherjobject of the invention is to provide a milk cooler wherein the means for sup- 2 claims. (ci. 62-4'141) portingy the milk cans in the cabinet takes the v readily accessible for thorough cleaning, said cooler being thereby highly susceptible to maintenance in a sanitary condition.

A still furtherl object is to provide a milk cooler comprising readily detachable cooling and circulatingfunits of the character described above and wherein temperature controls for the liquid cooling medium and for the milk can storage or cooling compartment are associated as integral parts thereof with the cooling and circulating units respectively. A

A broader object is to provide a milk cooler having separate temperature control means for the liquid cooling medium yand the storage compartment, said control means operating cooperatively to maintain substantially constant temperatures in the said medium and in thefcompartment. f l

The invention contemplates also provision in thecabinet of a, large vertical reservoir in which the-'cooling element of the refrigerating unit is housed for intimate' contact with the liquid cooling medium, said reservoir aifording a large volume of refrigeratedY liquidv in relation to the can storage capacityof the cabinet.`

Thefinve'ntion resides further in certain structural details-hereinafter described and illustrate in the attached drawings, wherein: l

Fig. 1 vis a view'in perspective of a milk cooler made in accordancewith the invention;

Fig, `2 is a verticalsection'al view onthe line VVIligopis'a horizontal sectional view on line 3+3;Fig;`1;2'

Figs. 4 and 5 are views in perspective of the refrigeration and water circulating units respectively; 1 5;) v

.fFig.V 6 is: a view in perspective of a preferred form of water distributing duct system detached from. thecabinet;l and, Fig. '7 lis a view in perspective of the milk can supporting rack also removed from the cabinet. With reference to .the'drawings, the milk cooler therein illustrated comprises a rectangular cabinet l, 'having an .opening 2 in the front wall thereof which is normally closed by a door 3 hinged to the cabinet at one sideof the opening. As shown in Fig. 1, the door 3 'is A provided with the usualisealng gasketll, and on the inner side and `at the lower part thereof with a wiper gasket 5 which with the positive seal alforded by the gasket lreffectively precludes escape of liquid through the door. Y

The inside of the cabinet is divided by a partition G into compartments v'I and 8, the'major compartment 1 being designed for storage of the milk cans containing the milk to be cooled, and the minor compartment 8 constituting a reservoir for the water or other cooling Vmedium which after being refrigeratedin the compartment 8 is distributed over. thesurfaces of the milk cans located in the storage compartment 1 in a manner hereinafter described.V z

, Itwill .be noted-that the milk cans 9,` indicated in broken linesir il'ig.- 1,y are supported `in the cabinet, upon ,a1-'rack l i'whi oh` is best illustrated in= 6, thislrack, consistingvof'longitudinal base 3 members I2 and I3 in the form of channels, and transverse angle bars I4, I5, I6 and I'I which are securedtothe topsoi the channels I2 and I3 and whichareiarrangedy so astto form in eiiect two sets oi rails spaced in conformity with the diameter of the can so that the latter ,may seat thereon and be coni-ined to the rails by the upstanding flanges of the angle bars. In assembly, this rack is supportedin the bottom of the compartment I of the cabinet Withrthe horizon-V tal flange or the can-supporting rails approximately even with the lower edge of the opening 2 so that the cans may be readily deposited on the front ends of the rails through said opening and then pushed rearwardly into the cabinet.

MountedmonI the top wall v2| ofthe cabinet above .the reservoir chamber V3v is. a refrigerati-ng unit which comprises a dependingcoolingcoil- 22, a hermetically sealed compressor kunit23, condenser 24, and a fan in operative association with the evaporator. YThese elements are mounted.r on a-baseZS Awhich seats upon the top of the cabinet over an opening 2l through which the cooling` coil ,V22 extends into the chamber 8, thevbase V26 forming a cover for the opening. 21. Preferably the unit 23 is controlled auton'latically bya thermostat GI whichis responsive to the temperature producedby therefrigerating unit. -In this way theamount of .ice formed on the convolutionsof the coil 22 `may be accurately regulated, v

This construction provides a complete selfcontained drop-in refrigeration unit with yhermetically sealed condensingunit which isreadily installed 'simplybyi dropping--the coil. 22 through the opening provided .in the tcp of `the cabinet.

This featurepermitsthe .self-contained refrigeratinggunit to be easilyremoved from the cabinet merelyby' lifting the base 26- upwardly until the coil is freed from the chamber 8 thereby renderingit accessible for cleaning `and for service or replacement of the refrigerating unit. L 1;.- f

Circulation of the. water'from, the chamber 8 over the surfaces of the cans in the storage compartment 'I `:is eiected` by overflow fromthe said.. chamberl into a distributing vduct system, best illustrated in Fig. 6. As' therein. illustrated this system consists of a.- central channel 3i to each of the opposite ends and the center of which, respectively, are suitably secured in Adepending position narrow open-top troughs 32, 33 and 34, said ftroughs extending transversely-.of and to both sides of thechannel.v The bottomV of the'channel 3l is, provided' withfapertures 35, 36, and 31 which open intoI the tops of the troughs. Each of the troughs 32 and 33 is providedrin the side face thereof, which confronts the trough 34, with a series ofv smallports designatedby the reference numeral 38, and similar ports 39 are provided in both side faces of the trough 34. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2', thisy distributing duct structure 'constitutes a unitary structure which is detachably supportedin thel top of the cham-- ber 1 of' the cabinet on vtransverse flange rails 4I and 42' so17that the: channel 3I extends substantially central otthe chamber from one side to theother, andthe troughs 32,-33' and 34 occupyV positions"adjacentfandv on vopposite sides of the cans supported' onsthe rack'll. T he outer face of the trough 32 abutsthe-face ofthepartition 6, and the partitionis provided with-a weir 33 inits upper-fed'ge'which @vel-hangs the prox-- inflate:l end of I the channel 3l. -When the water level inftheccmpartment 8 reaches `:they bottom of aeoassc 4 the weir 30, refrigerated water will ilow from the chamber 8 into the channel, will pass through the ports 35, 36 and 3T into the troughs 32, 33 and'34 and will now outwardly in a plurality of streams through the ports 38 and 39 against the necks and shoulders of the cans below the caps and ilow downwardly over the side surfaces of the cans 9 supported in the chamber v'I as previouslyr described. The water then collects in thebottom of the chamber 'I below the can-supporting rack II and will be pumped from this area, by means described below, into the chamber 8, this circulation of the water in the 1 cabinetcontinuing uninterruptedly for such time as may be required to reduce the temperature of the milk ,in the cans to the desired extent.

Theucirculation ofthe waterdescribed above is effected. through y the medium of a pumpl unit designated generally by tht-:reference numeral 45. This unitcomprises an electric motor 46 mounted onf,a,.p1ate:;4l;fandoperatively connected with a suitable impeller mounted in a casing e8 at the lower-end of'a tubular housing 49 depending lfrom thfefunderside ,of the plate il. A discharge port ofthe im'pellcr chamber is connected to the lower end of an upright duct 5I which extends in parallel relation lwith the ltubular housing' 49 and vis provided atit-s upper endwith a, U-iitting 52. The duct 5I' includes two;separate pipe sections, 53 and 54 respectively, which are lconnectedby a flexible tube 55, this aording adjustment of the length ofzthe duct 5I as may be required;

Operationofrthe pump motor 46 is controlled automatically. by a thermostat 62 which is responsivesto the-temperature in the storage compartmentjfi so that the 4circulationcf water is effected'as required torm'aintain the desired milk cooling and storage temperature in the compartment. I

Thisr pumpu t `isfinstalled in the lcabinet through an opening Y5S inthetopxwall of the latter.' Thelplate 'dflfseats upon the top wall 2| of the cabinet. andA ov'erlies and normally .closes lthe openingf.55,2V thev tubular casing I9A extending downwardly'throughtlieopening into the chamber-'Tat theiorwardroset corner of the latter and adjoining' thev partition li.` 4The impeller casing 48 lies at the bottom of the chamber? and the vduct 5I extends upwardly at the face ofthe partition G. and over the Vtop 'of the latter, the U- shaped fitting at the ltop of the duct 5I: directing the stream of` Waterd'ownwardly toward the bottorn of chamber 8 andfagitating' the water in the reservoir. Like thereirig'erating `unit described above, the punp also constitutes a self-icontai'nedn 't whicliL-as such, may 'be vinstallecland removed rrandfron the cabinet I in obvious mam-,15, i: .-5

The: general 'modeof operation of the cooler will be readily unde1stood'li"1om` thev foregoing description.V It is reiterated, fhowever, that both thelecoolin-g-unit and the `pur-ripl unit is regulated ini-its operations bya thermostat which constitutes an integral'relement of the unit.

1 Y These thermostatic controls serve to maintain anadequate ice reserve in the compartment" 8 to meet maximum andV minimum temperature `requirements determinedby an adjustable temperature control onthe'cooling'unimand to insure safe storageztemperaturesafter'initial cooling of the milkin the storage compartment; f f

' tzwillbe vnot edthat the cooler exhibits both simplicity of `ior 'fand high `functional efficiency.. the'A assembly-of qtheyfunctional elements of the cooler' injthecabinetbeingeiiected with amini- 5 mum of complication and being readily accessible by merely lifting from the cabinet for cleaning, adjustment, repair or replacement. The readily removable self-contained refrigeration and pump unitsaford a simple means for quick replacement of these primary operating parts so that the l cooler may be maintained in continuous and substantially uninterrupted operation. The relatively large capacity of the chamber 8 with respect to the storage capacity of the chamber 1 insures an adequate supply of refrigerated water for continuous distribution over the milk cans with consequent relatively rapid reduction in the milk temperature. The ready removability of the lift out refrigerating and pump units and of the duct system and can rack, also provides for rapid and efcient cleaning of these parts and of the whole cabinet interior, so that the cooler may be maintained economically in completely sanitary condition. As set forth above, the novel temperature control system insures that the milk temperature will not rise during the storage periods after the quick cooling operation has been completed and before the milk is removed for distribution.

Iclaim:

1. In a milk cooler a cabinet having top, bottom and side walls and an upright partition dividing the interior thereof into major and minor compartments, an opening in a side wall of the cabinet affording access to the major compartment for insertion and removal of milk cans, said opening being spaced from the bottom of the interior ofv said major compartment so as to form within said compartment below said opening a Water-tight reservoir, a door for said opening, an opening in the top of the cabinet above the minor compartment communicating with the upper part of the minor compartment so as to receive water from the latter by overflow, and means vfor transferring water from the reservoir in the bottom of the major compartment to the minor compartment.

2. A milk cooler according to claim 1 wherein saidv water transfer means comprises a self-contained pump unit mounted in the top wall of the cabinet and extending downwardly to the bottom of the major compartment, said pump unit being removable from the cabinet independently of the refrigerating unit. A

RAYMOND D. PUSEY.l

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS y Date 

